RADIATION
A pot on a stove. Why is the coil red?
Radiation
Energy from the sun travels through the space
and the atmosphere in the form of a wave
(electromagnetic waves) and is called radiation
Travels through space at speed of light
(c=3x108 m s-1). Me

Vertical Structure of the
Atmosphere
Layers of the Atmosphere
Lapse rate = change in temperature with a
change in height
Isothermal layer = no change in temperature with
height
Inversion layer = change in the sign of the lapse
rate
Vertical Structure o

Atmospheric Science
Atmospheric science:
The comprehensive study of the physics,
chemistry, and dynamics of the earths
atmosphere, from the earths surface to several
100 km.
Includes atmospheric chemistry, aeronomy
(physics of upper atmosphere), magneto

Heat Transfer in the Atmosphere
Conduction
Convection and advection
Radiation
Heat Transfer in the Atmosphere
Conduction: transfer heat from one molecule
to another in a substance
Energy travels from hot to cold
Air a poor conductor, metal a good co

ATOC 214
Homework 1
This homework is due on Friday, September 19, 2014 in class.
1. Compute the mass of air above a 2 m2 surface area, given that the earths surface
pressure is 950 hPa. Please show your work, and provide your answer in kg.
2. Given that t

Practice questions
The practice questions cover the material since the mid-term test.
A. Multiple choice
1.
When the air is saturated, which of the following statements is NOT correct?
a. The air temperature equals the wet-bulb temperature.
b. The relativ

Use of the Tephigram
Path of air parcel on tephigram
Parcel initially at: 30C, dew
point 14, pressure 1000
700
mb. We can see that this
corresponds to w = 10 g kg-1
As parcel ascends:
T follows dry adiabatic
Mixing ratio is constant
until saturation (T =

Practice multiple choice questions
1. Typically, water vapor occupies about what percentage of the air's volume near the earth's surface?
a. about 78 percent
b. about 21 percent
c. close to 10 percent
d. less than 4 percent
e. none of these
2. The greenho

Ice Processes
Ice
processes
when
temperature
colder than
0 0C
What about Ice?
At our latitudes, most of
the water in clouds in the
form of ice crystals.
The vapour pressure with
respect to ice less than
that with respect to water
The cloudy region is near

PRECIPITATION TYPE
FORECASTING
A top down approach to figuring out what is going to
fall from the sky
Forecasting precipitation types
The forecasting of precipitation type is one of the
most difficult things a forecaster will ever do.
Psychologically, the

Solar radiation through the
atmosphere
The Sun
Almost 99% of the mass of the sun is hydrogen and
helium
Temperature in the core of the sun is about 107K
Density in the core of the sun is about 10x density of
mercury
Under these conditions nuclear fusi

A simple model on the effect of
the atmosphere on earths
temperature(the Greenhouse
effect)
A semi-grey atmosphere
The atmosphere has different absorptivities for
SW and LW radiation. It is neither black nor grey
There is little overlap between the emit

Longwave (Terrestrial) Radiation
Longwave spectrum doesnt overlap the shortwave
(solar) spectrum
Surface acts like a blackbody
We can ignore scattering of longwave radiation
Some of the gases in the atmosphere absorb certain
wavelength bands in the lo

How to calculate solar insolation
(TOA, Top Of Atmosphere)
Affected by
1) Sun-earth distance
2) Spreading of the solar beam angle of the
sun
3) Length of a day
k
Sun
overhead
at A
Observer
at B
A
A
h
Local noon
B
i
B
l
i , l , and k are unit vectors
D

Chapter 3: Seasonal and daily
temperatures
Why the Earth has Seasons
2
Seasons are due to the annual variation of the solar
flux incident per m2 at the earths surface at
different latitudes
Causes of variation of solar energy reaching the
Earth surface :

Saturation temperatures
Vapour Pressure and Boiling Point Temperature
When water boils, bubbles of vapour rise to the top
of the liquid and escape.
This can only happen if the saturation vapour
pressure equals the actual atmospheric pressure
Boiling occur

Ch. 4
Atmospheric Humidity
Hydrologic Cycle
Precipitable water
Vertically integrated water vapor mass in a column
of air expressed in depth of rain if all water vapor
condenses out in the column
Precipitable water about 1 inch or 2.5 cm
Average precipitat